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ForeignLander by Lydia McCauley
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fave it Traditional Folk | Love Songs
13 tracks | 57 minutes
Released Jun 2004
on Brimstone Music
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- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 05:44 One Morning In May lyrics BUY MP3 05:44 One Morning In May lyrics "GIFT MP3" 05:44 One Morning In May
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:14 Swallow's Return lyrics BUY MP3 03:14 Swallow's Return lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:14 Swallow's Return
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:55 Pretty Saro lyrics BUY MP3 03:55 Pretty Saro lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:55 Pretty Saro
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:52 The Cuckoo lyrics BUY MP3 04:52 The Cuckoo lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:52 The Cuckoo
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:39 Barbara Allan lyrics BUY MP3 04:39 Barbara Allan lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:39 Barbara Allan
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 02:52 Stella lyrics BUY MP3 02:52 Stella lyrics "GIFT MP3" 02:52 Stella
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 06:45 The River Trilogy lyrics BUY MP3 06:45 The River Trilogy lyrics "GIFT MP3" 06:45 The River Trilogy
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:37 I Will Give My Love An Apple lyrics BUY MP3 03:37 I Will Give My Love An Apple lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:37 I Will Give My Love An Apple
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 05:00 Softly And Tenderly lyrics BUY MP3 05:00 Softly And Tenderly lyrics "GIFT MP3" 05:00 Softly And Tenderly
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 05:29 ForeignLander lyrics BUY MP3 05:29 ForeignLander lyrics "GIFT MP3" 05:29 ForeignLander
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:06 Soldier Boy lyrics BUY MP3 03:06 Soldier Boy lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:06 Soldier Boy
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:20 Margaret's Waltz lyrics BUY MP3 03:20 Margaret's Waltz lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:20 Margaret's Waltz
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:58 Lover's Lament lyrics BUY MP3 04:58 Lover's Lament lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:58 Lover's Lament
Laced with medieval, Celtic, and Appalachian tones, Lydia's songs are best described as intoxicating, making a lissome journey through the past via the textured sounds of her ensemble's viola, violin, whistles, acoustic guitar and concertina.
Editorial review
When you hear songs this beautiful being performed by a woman with this kind of obvious love and devotion for them, you naturally want to praise her. In Lydia McCauley's case, though, there's a problem: as a singer, she just doesn't seem to be up to the task. The problem isn't her voice per se -- her voice is warm and attractive, and she stays on pitch pretty reliably, but she sings with a pronounced vibrato that is just a bit too slow and loose, and her phrasing is just a bit too uncontrolled, and as a result, many of these songs sound like they're being guessed at rather than authoritatively sung. These twin tendencies are especially disappointing on otherwise attractive arrangements of "The Cuckoo" and "One Morning in May." The instrumental tracks fare better -- McCauley is a fine pianist and arranger, and her original composition "Swallow's Return" is very nice, as is her setting of "Margaret's Waltz." The album's highlight is a lovely instrumental medley consisting of "Skye Boat Song," "Shenandoah," and "The Water Is Wide." There is also a wonderfully soft and gentle rendition of the classic revival song "Softly and Tenderly." Not bad overall, but the vocals need a bit more discipline. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide
Bio / Background
CAPTIVATING MUSIC FROM THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS
They came across the ocean from the British Isles.
They sang the songs of their homeland in a new country.
They lived, loved, and died here.
This is the music of the ForeignLander.
Lydia McCauley documented folk music at the prestigious Appalachian Music Archive in Berea, Kentucky in the early 1980's and studied with some of the best folk musicians in the Appalachian region. Known today as a songwriter, McCauley returns to her roots in her fifth album, ForeignLander; a collection of innovatively arranged pieces from 17-20th Century Appalachia, beautifully performed by McCauley and her touring Ensemble, along with special guests. While careful to preserve Appalachian traditions in this album, Lydia creates a fresh and contemporary sound that pleases both traditional and progressive music audiences.
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